Next Generation Language Access - Ngla

Across the country, there is a growing need for limited English Proficiency (LEP) people to access community services. Various non-English speaking communities have faced increased barriers to accessing the community services they need (social services, medical services, educational services, etc) due to a lack of available interpreters to facilitate communication and mitigate cultural/linguistic barriers. Out of the interpreters available, there is often little to no interpreter training offered to support interpreters to perform at their highest potential. Next Generation Language Access (NGLA) was created to meet this need by providing high quality interpreter training to bilingual high school students. NGLA aims to provide students with a viable career opportunity upon graduation from high school that will both emphasize their inherent bilingual skills and fill the need for professional interpreters in community settings. As such, NGLA aims to train the next generation of professional interpreters that will help decrease nation-wide gaps in equitable language access.